A flurry of pages, words, authors, and fans flutters at USC.

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The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books celebrates the word on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13 at USC.

LOS ANGELES TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS: How we consume the written word is forever evolving, but our experience with the written word remains human and timeless: We love it, we feel emotions, we think. This gigantatron gathering of readers, authors, book sellers, panelists, artists, and literary experts is one of the best known anywhere, and, also, it's free. More money for more books, totes, books, and more books. Dates? April 12 and 13. Place? The University of Southern California. Authors? T.C. Boyle, Aimee Bender, B.J. Novak, Pico Iyer, Rainbow Rowell, Francesca Lia Block...

AVOCADO FESTIVALS x 2: If you've called Southern California home for a good long while, and you eat guacamole on a weekly -- or daily? -- basis, then Carpinteria is absolutely on your radar. Well, for multiple reasons -- Carp rocks -- but the mondo fall avocado fest is, well, mondo. But springtime holds some creamy surprise, too, elsewhere around the region. Avo-happenings turn up in two spots on Sunday, April 13: Fallbrook and Olvera Street. Fallbrook is the major street fair, so, yep, people. But don't you love being among other guacians like yourself? Long live the green.

DESPICABLE ME MINION MAYHEM: Hello, summertime? Is that you? It seems like it should be, since signs of the funnest season -- yeah, we said "funnest" there -- are ever increasing. One of the biggest? Universal Studios Hollywood is debuting its splashy ride for the warm-weather stretch, and, yes, there shall be Minions, adventure, high jinks, thrills, and more Minions. Did we mention Minions?

DEATH VALLEY FLOWERS: Wait, is this actually a thing this year? A bloom in the desert, following one of the driest winters in recent memory? Even after meteo-experts said, "nope, probably not gonna have a bunch of flowers this time around?" Well hooray hooray. The national park is expecting a much bigger wildflower bloom than expected, right now, this minute, so if you want to see petals in the desert, go, go, go.

SHIPWRECK WEEKEND: You've been to Catalina Island, yes? So you've been to Avalon. But how many times have you been out to Two Harbors, the other burg on the wee ocean crag? It's pretty, it's remote, and it is made for a spirited pirate party. That's happens from April 11 through 13, and there shall be music, there shall be beverage, there shall be tri-cornered hats and costumes. If you want to costume in that manner but can't catch a boat to Catalina, drive to Irwindale, where it's weekend two of Ren Faire.